Various ruminations and observations regarding the bizarre and otherwise incomprehensible happenings in the wine industry.

SAINT VINI'S CREDO
I believe that wine is a beverage that should be enjoyed frequently, alone or with meals. I believe that wine, since it is made from a fruit, should produce a liquid reminiscent of that fruit, not cedar, moss, pipe tobacco, barnyards, manure, pencil lead, or band aids. As such, I believe that good wine can come from any country, but it must be labeled in such a way that the consumer doesn't need an atlas and a wine encyclopedia to figure out what's in the bottle. I believe that the United States should not trail the civilized world in wine consumption per capita and that neo-prohibitionists, wine snobs, and liquor distributors are all joined in a trilateral commission to hinder wine consumption. I believe that wine needs to lose its elitist image by embracing alternative packaging, alternative closures, non-vintage wines, stronger branding, and lower retail prices. I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last........uh....sorry, I got carried away.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

France "dysfunctional"

Well, IT'S ABOUT TIME!

Top wine industry insiders have labeled France (and Bordeaux in particular) as "dysfunctional".

I've been saying that for years....maybe they don't read the Zinquisition?

'Bordeaux should be selling everything,'says Tony Spawton, an associate professor for wine marketing at University of South Australia.

This is blatantly false...he's implying that just because it carries a Bordeaux appellation it should sell, but there are always less desirable wines from any locale, and just because it's Bordeaux doesn't make it GOOD wine...

'The fact the world's leading wine region is having to distill wine is a bad sign,' said Spawton.

What? They've been doing it for years...why wasn't it a bad sign back then? Weren't they paying attention??C'mon, I've been blogging about the perpetual "crisis distillation" program and its ill effects since 2005....

Another speaker, UK wine writer Robert Joseph - who produces wine in France - said dysfunctionalities in Bordeaux, and France in general, existed at many levels.
He cited a 'lack of wine branding, poor marketing - with the exception of Champagne' - and the fact that Bordeaux customers are 'blackmailed' into buying.

No $hit...again, something I've been saying since '05...

Well, who knows. maybe they'll get their act together and finally move into the 20th century. Then they'll only have one more century to make up for to be on par with the rest of the world!I've saved the best quote for last:

'The biggest change will be producers actually asking themselves who is drinking, why, and questioning the blind assumption that there is a market out there for this kind of wine.' -anonymous French wine producer

2 Comments:

Don't worry, pretty soon the Bordelaise (that's a sauce, right?) will figure out to fake a shortage of wine like their Champagne brethren do semi-annually, convince the mainstream media it's true, and boneheaded wine buyers everywhere will gobble up all the plonk like dogs eating their own vomit (with Bordelaise sauce).

However, what I take away from all this is the joy at knowing that wine marketing is equally stupid all over the world, not just in CA!